· I read somewhere that this season's fashion icon is Edie Sedgwick, the bulimic, drug-addicted manic depressive who killed herself in the 70s. How can that possibly be? And isn't this a bit insulting in light of the Kate Moss story?

Melanie Johnson, Bristol

There is something admirable in the childlike way in which fashion people can find the aesthetic good in anything, utterly ignoring (or just being ignorant of) the twitchy, troublesome context. Fashion people tend to be like teenage girls, and I don't just mean in their materialism, self-obsession and tendency towards eating disorders. They just love falling for the bad kids, partly to provoke their parents (ie, the rest of the planet). Thus, Sedgwick is now being cited as "someone who lived the kind of life the rest of us can only dream of", which may be true if the life you dream of is one spent in and out of mental hospital wards, and running around Manhattan in an old jumper and woolly tights with only a bitchy man in a bad wig for company. As for the Kate Moss issue, yes, it is a tricky one, but frankly, I think the only thing Moss will lead us all to OD on is gossip about herself.

· Can a person with hips wear a puffball skirt or shorts without looking like a pumpkin?

J Ruck, London

It's a funny thing, life, and the questions it veritably vomits on to our laps. Steve Coogan and Courtney Love? What is the point of Ross Kemp? And why do designers make clothes that ignore vital parts of the female anatomy? At least with the last problem, we can lessen the collective pain. Instead of going for the puffball, try the new turban-shape skirt, which hangs out slightly from the body while the hem tucks under, giving a slight puff. Topshop and New Look have some brilliant ones, and make sure you get ones that skim your hips, as opposed to cling (ie, do not heed the siren call of the elasticated waistband). For shorts, go for the slightly wider legged ones that end just above your knee (but make sure you get a straight cut or you will achieve a look known as pyramid-scheme chic). Wear with a neat, body-skimming top. Agnès b and Reiss should suit you nicely, and you won't turn into a pumpkin after midnight or, indeed, earlier.

· Is there such a thing as an attractive nude bra? They always look so surgical.

M Grant, by email

OK, a word about lingerie. I don't think I will be excommunicated from the feminist movement if I say that pretty lingerie is generally more for the observer's benefit than that of the wearer. Yet these frilly bits are often impossible to wear under clothes, what with their profusions of lace, and one usually has to wear decent enough clothes before one gets the lingerie observer back home, if you see what I'm saying. Instead, with practical nude bras, one is left standing there, looking as sexless as a spayed cat. As Gilbert and Sullivan would say, it is a paradox, a paradox, a most ingenius paradox. Kelly Cunningham at lingerie store Rigby & Peller (020-7440 5222) agrees: "Smooth, nude bras tend to be made for more practical purposes," she says. But she recommends Huit and Lejaby for small cup sizes, and the aptly named Primadonna for larger, prettier than usual, but still, sadly, laceless.

· I read somewhere (so it must be true) that the pencil skirt is a key look this season but haven't had any luck in finding a stylish black one for work, preferably lined and in a wool mix.

Mary Johnson, Dublin

Priscilla Kwateng, the Guardian's fashion stylist, recommends Principles for the best ones. Wear it with a loose blouse and a cinched-in belt for Tippi Hedren homage. But mind the pigeons on your way to work.

· Can people size 12 or over wear skinny jeans? And if not, what should they wear instead?

Jane McMann, Manchester

Ah, the skinny jeans phenomenon. It's remarkable how powerful a photo of a "tired and emotional" model can be. A couple of pictures appeared in the tabs over the summer showing "a strained and gaunt" Kate Moss, and the lesson the public takes from this was not, "Hmmm, maybe modelling ain't such a great gig after all", but, rather, "Look, Kate's wearing skinny jeans! And if they look good on her, looking particularly underfed at the moment, I bet they'd look great on me!" The real question is, Jane, do you actually want to wear them? Aside from the bagging problem, they are basically denim leggings, and did you ever think you'd see the day when you'd be wearing denim leggings? Instead, go for straight cuts. Paper Denim & Cloth do great cuts, and are at Selfridges and Liberty's, though I like the Gap best of all, not least because of the £44 price tag.